Pilfering Producers

[Butterfly Man]

The 1st time a producer asked me to organize and collect $ for a group fire show was in Edmonton ... after it was over, I went up to the producer (Dick Finkle) with several thousand dollars ... he told me to "do whatever you'd like" with the proceeds. He wanted the performers to make the decisions on where the money went or how it was used. Dick was a giving, generous man and a consummate producer.

On the other side of the toonie, I watched another producer put most of his profits (from similar group shows) up his nose.

It seemed that when certain producers start seeing all that money (which as we all know only looks like a lot) they figure out sometimes elaborate ways to get their hands on some of it.

If this becomes a trend, I'm gonna do cruise ships instead.

[Peter Voice]

I worked for the second producer in Robert's post, " He who shall remain noseless", just once. In ten days he ripped off several of his performers, sponsors and audiences. At one "free" event, with an audience made up of contest winners from the sponsoring radio station, the performers were coerced in to bottling it for him at the doors as the punters were trying to leave the theatre. It left a bad tase in every-one's mouth and a burning sensation in the back of his throat.

Another producer withheld nearly 75% of my fee for unpaid hotel parking and room service bills that were incurred days after I'd flown out of the city. He left the country shortly after.

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

Dick is the man, I admire the way he ran his festival. While I see nothing wrong with volunteering a communal show for charity, I dislike the switch from that to a mandated show to cover production costs.

Street performers entertain thousands and thousands of people, charging nothing, and yet they STILL need to be taxed to finance the festival's costs? Thanks for the love!

That is nothing short of the hard, hungry, purple-veined throbber comin' atcha.